


Leidenfrost Effect

by kunemoo



Category: Team Fortress 2
Genre: Demo needs more love, Do I rate this 'teen' for the f-bomb or G bc there's nothing else bad: A novel by me, Everybody's friends in the base... not an ounce of salt in this house, Gen, Platonic Relationships, what do I even tag this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-10
Updated: 2018-08-10
Packaged: 2019-06-24 15:08:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15633192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kunemoo/pseuds/kunemoo
Summary: Tavish DeGroot uses his chemistry skills to show Pyro, Scout, and anyone who wants to watch a little trick.





	Leidenfrost Effect

“Hey, Scotch... where are we goin', again?”

 

Demoman turned back to the runner, grinning calmly, “Respawn room, lad. Dunnae want to risk messin' up base.”

 

“That is right,” Soldier interjected, smiling, “We are on a top secret mission for amusement. Part of the procedure involves not getting yelled at by Medic a second time!”

 

“Right...” Engineer chuckled, “Seein' the doc chase you and Demo was a real sight to see at three in the morning.”

 

Pyro held the boxes of supplies, extra pep in their step. The Scotsman patted them on the head and smiled, making them chuckle. The Engineer smiled along. Scout tilted his head, narrowing his eyes.

 

“What's in those boxes, anyway?”

 

“Lesse... liquid methane, test tubes, prongs, and a lighter.”

 

“Woah, woah!” the runner held his hands up defensively, brows furrowed, “So, this thing's gonna involve fire... with a flammable thing... next to a place made of old _wood?_ ”

 

“Aye. Well... nae exactly.”

 

“An experiment with fire... _Why?_ ”

 

“Wrr nrt?” Pyro answered back, giggling, “Rrt wrll br sr crrl!”

 

“Skeeter, give the man some credit,” Engineer deadpanned, “I know he doesn't move nearly as much as you do, but that don't mean he doesn't know how to do things. The stuff Demo can make is a real sight to behold.”

 

“Affirmative!” Soldier exclaimed, “Tav here makes all his stuff by himself. One-man army if I ever saw one.”

 

Scout and Pyro both looked from Soldier to Demo.

 

“Seriously?” the runner inquired, brows raised.

 

“Aye,” the Scot replied, smiling wider, “I told ye- Actually, nae. I told Engie and Jane. 'M sure the doc's read the file of me, too. Anyways, laddies, I majored in chemistry an' physics in my youth. Have the degree tae prove it. Also, the 'experiment' has a name-- the Leidenfrost effect.”

 

“Huh...” Scout replied quietly, nodding, “Didn't you also say you chugged an entire keg of alcohol in college once?

 

Demo bellowed a laugh in response, “Aye, I did do that. But, no pills or stickies 've misfired, have they?”

 

Pyro and Scout looked to the two Americans. Soldier immediately shook his head, while Engineer thought about it for a moment, then shook his head. Scout rolled his eyes then smirked to Demo.

 

“Alright, I get it,” Scout replied, “You got a point, Scotch. But we better not get hurt by this.”

 

“Nae, ye won't.”

 

“We have Engie here,” Soldier swung an arm around both Demo and Engineer, “the mama hen of the bunch!”

 

“Wait a gosh darn minute-”

 

“And has anyone been wounded in action when he's around? Negative. Nothing goes wrong when Engie's around, even when there's a small chance nothing can go wrong. Murphy's law doesn't exist even more so with Engie!”

 

“Wrr nn grrd hrns.”

 

“Yeah, that's true.”

 

“Aye, accidents dunnae happen around you, Dell.”

 

Engie looked to the group with a small smile, pulling down his helmet, “Mighty kind, all of you.”

 

“Here we are,” Demo all but sang, opening the door to the respawn room near base, “As long as we dunnae torch the place, I'm sure we can have a wee bit of fun and not get in trouble. Oh, an' leave the lights off.”

 

Scout sighed in relief seeing the lack of wood around him, while Pyro hopped in place. Soldier nearly started to jump along, while the Engineer sighed along with Scout. Demo and Soldier looked back, looking at each other before raising a brow.

 

“What's ailin' ya?” Demo inquired, an amused grin gracing his features.

 

Scout and Engineer looked up, raising their brows and shaking their heads. The youngest had his hands behind his back as he averted his eyes and whistled, while the other gave Demo a kind smile. Pyro chuckled at them both as they cheerfully walked over to Demo.

 

“Whrt dr wr dr? Rr crn hrrp!”

 

“Yeah, we can help ya with anythin' needing to get done, Tav.”

 

The Scot hummed in thought, cogs turning in his brown eye, “Lesse... Get everything off the ground, including yerselves.”

 

Everyone, including the little rebel Scout, complied. Fire was nothing to mess around with, after all. It was something to be cautious with, scared of, even. Except for the resident pyromaniac, the others diligent with keeping flammable things _away_ from the firebug.

 

Demo took the box from Pyro, patting them on the head. He whistled while pouring the methane in the test tube and reaching for the lighter in the box. When he couldn't feel it, he stomach sank as he looked up.

 

The scene in front of him made him sigh in relief, as Pyro wasn't playing with the lighter, but was holding it out for Demo to take. The Scotsman beamed.

 

“Thanks, lad. Mind getting the tongs too?”

 

Pyro did such, Demo taking the tool and pinched the test tube with them to hold it. The Scot then ignited a small flame from the lighter, standing and holding it close to the tube, away from himself.

 

The pyromaniac let out an excited squeal and crawled onto the bench. They sat on their feet and leaned forward, eager for anything that happened next. Soldier strolled over and crossed his legs, leaning forward with a grin. For some reason, he held a bucket.

 

“Sock it to them, Tav.”

 

Demo nodded with a spunky grin, soon guffawing when he looked over to Scout and Engineer.

 

The younger man was hugging his knees with one arm, while tightly linking arms with Engie. The small Texan wasn't nearly as nervous, but Demo could see his brows knitting with worry, even under the goggles. Just like the mother hen of the base would.

 

“Let's go, boyos,” Demo began, grinning wide, “Thank ye for joinin'. This here's called the Leidenfrost effect. It's when something is next tae somethin' else that is past boilin' point, so that it creates a vapor layer between it and--”

 

Engineer was nodding along, while Scout was squinting his eyes and slowly nodding. Soldier and Pyro had their heads tilted, unmoving. Demo let out a small sigh.

 

“It's when somethin' is next tae somethin' else that's so hot that they don't touch right away. Methane's a gas at room temperature, and has to be very cold to become a liquid. So the colder thing can look like it's floatin' on nothing for a wee bit.”

 

Soldier and Pyro nodded along, leaning forward again. Engineer remained the same, while Scout's eyes widened as he nodded. Demo was happy he just got the point across to someone else besides the Texan.

 

Pyro then raised their hand, making Demo chuckle at the sight.

 

“Aye, Pyro?”

 

“Sr frr wrrl br flrrn?”

 

The Scot was silent for a few moments, trying to decipher Pyro's words. He glanced to Engineer for help. Even when sober, he had trouble understanding the firebug.

 

“Fireflies, Junebug?”

 

Pyro shook their head, speaking a little slower, “Frr wrrl br _flrrn?_ ”

 

“Fire flyin', lad...?”

 

When they jolted then nodded quickly, Demo shook his head, “Not flyin'... it's more.... hoverin'.”

 

“Rr srr... Crrl!”

 

“An' keep in mind, lads...” He turned to look Soldier and Pyro in the eyes... or, helmet and lenses, in this case. “ _Ne'er_ try this on base. Or alone. Come tae me. We _cannae_ burn the bloody base down.”

 

Everyone, even Pyro, nodded in agreement to the last comment.

 

“Alrighty, ready, boyos?”

 

Soldier and Pyro nodded enthusiastically, clapping in place and grinning wide respectively. They switched their gazes from looking to the Scotsman and the tile floor. Scout and Engineer nodded much slower, with the runner tightening his grip on Engineer's arm.

 

“Please don't kill us, please don't kill us, please don't kill us...”

 

Demo carried the ignited lighter to the very top of the test tube, letting out a satisfied huff as the methane made contact with the flame. The mist floating away from the tube soon became a blaze. A tall, bright, hungry flame.

 

Pyro let out another excited laugh, while Scout squeaked and made himself fit on the bench as much as possible. Engineer raised his eyebrows and did the same as Scout, while Soldier leaned forward, mystified.

 

“Cheers, lads!” is all Demo said as he lowered the test tube and slowly spilled the contents onto the floor.

 

It was a sonic boom of flames. Scout let out a high-pitched yelp, while Engineer's jaw dropped at the scene before him.

 

Fire cascaded across the white tile, quickly increasing its radius. As the blaze traveled further, little flames left a trail. The wave of fire dimly lit the room before dissolving into the air.

 

“Dear god...” Soldier murmured, jaw dropped.

 

Pyro stared at the flames, silent. Then, after a few heartbeats, they applauded Demo. Scout leaned forward only slightly, realizing the fire wasn't going to burn him anytime soon. He looked over to Engineer.

 

“Y'know, this is actually pretty freakin' cool,” he leaned forward and raised his voice, “Whaddya think, Py? Ya like it?”

 

The firebug nodded enthusiastically, making Scout and Engineer chuckle.

 

“Science is a down right amazin' thing to tinker with at times. Ain't it, Tav?”

 

“Aye!” Demo chimed, laughing, “Didn't make yer asses jump out of yer skin in fear, did I?”

 

Engineer laughed harder and shook his head, “Not at all, Tav. In fact, I think ya even mystified the one who was sweatin' like a sinner in church.”

 

Immediately after, the Texan ruffled Scout's hair over his cap. The runner's hat was knocked askew, much to his dismay, batting Engineer's hand away while laughing. Scout took his cap off, ran a hand through his hair, then placed his ball cap back on with zest.

 

“Me? _Scared?_ ” the runner asked, raising a brow, “Please. 'M tough as nails, I ain't scared of _anythin'_.”

 

Scout lost his balance immediately after the words escaped his lips, letting out a squeak before scooting back on the bench. The rest of the team laughed while Scout averted his eyes.

 

“Whatever ya say, lad,” Demo chuckled, “Also, ye can walk on the floor. It will nae burn you.”

 

Scout hopped down, turning on his heel, “Good. 'Cause I wanna show a pretty cool friend o' mine this trick o' yours. If ya can do it again. That cool?”

 

Pyro stood as well, looking up to the Scot. Though he could exactly see their eyes, he could tell Pyro was curious... maybe even a little hopeful.

 

“Crn wr dr rt agrrn? Plrrs?” the firebug asked, tilting their head, “Rr lrrk thr Lrrdrnfrst rffrct. Vrr mrrch.”

 

Demo hummed in thought, opening the box and looking at the container the liquid methane was in. Ice was still creeping through the plastic and even started to inch closer to the cardboard. The Scot turned and gave Pyro a cheery smile, both with his answer and the fact he was beginning to understand them better.

 

“Aye, I was plannin' to do it again, onyway.”

 

Pyro hopped a little in place, while Scout smiled and gave Demo a thumbs-up.

 

“Sweet, man,” the runner made his way to the door that led to the base, “I'll be right back then, yeah?”

 

Everyone nodded and Scout walked out. The remaining four sat in silence, Soldier scratching the back of his head.

 

“Wunner who this 'friend' is...” Demo muttered.

 

Soldier hugged his bucket close, bristling, “It better not be some sort of spy, or we must meet them with heavy resistance.”

 

“Now, Soldier, I don't think we'll be fightin' anyone,” the small Texan smiled nervously, holding a hand up defensively, “No need to get your feathers ruffled, son.”

 

“Knowin' that laddie, it's probably someone who does nae like to follow rules, too.”

 

“Snrrpr.”

 

The men turned to Pyro, who had one leg crossed over the other. They leaned forward to rest an elbow on their thigh, then their head in their hand. Pyro turned their head to look at the trio.

 

“Snipper-- nae... Sniper?”

 

They nodded, “Snrrpr, prrbrblr. Hrrns wrr hrrm rf nrt mr.”

 

“Now that you mention it, Junebug, he and Slim _are_ pretty close. Reckon that's the fella Scout's bringin'.”

 

Soldier hummed, tilting his head, “Self-defense strategies might not be needed if it's him, then... As long as that maybe-Aussie doesn't have any jars.”

 

Demo, Engineer, and Pyro guffawed in response.

 

“I really doubt it, Sol,” Engineer gestured to the box and Demo, “Demo and the Leidenfrost effect, remember?”

 

“Oh. Right you are,” he turned to Demo, “Speaking of that trick, Tav, it's not un-American, is it?”

 

Demo widened his eye in response, locking eyes with Engineer for a moment before looking back to his best friend. Well, he didn't like to fib, but... this was _Jane_ he was talking to.

 

The Scot shook his head, smiling nervously, “Nae, man. Nae at all.”

 

He looked to the small Texan again, who gave him a thumbs-up and a kind grin. Demo let out a sigh of relief.

 

His relief didn't last long as he heard the respawn door swing open. He whipped his head to see Scout dragging in a familiar marksman, linking arms. A stream of idle chatter passed between the two.

 

“I mean, if _I_ liked it, you're gonna freakin' _love_ it, trust me,” Scout gave the taller man a cheeky grin, “It's really fuckin' cool.”

 

“So I hear,” Sniper replied nonchalantly, looking up and waving to Demo, “Roo here filled me in-- fire trick?”

 

Demo grinned back, “Fire trick. I know we can trust ye.”

 

Sniper allowed his spirit of a smile to grow wider, nodding, “Thanks, mate. Is it called... Leiderfrost effect-”

 

“No, dummy,” Scout poked at Sniper's side, making the older man recoil in the opposite direction, “Literfrost-- like a liter of soda-”

 

“Nae, _Leidenfrost_ effect.”

 

Scout was quiet while Sniper smirked to the two men, raising a brow. Scout huffed at Sniper, then averted his eyes.

 

“Yeah. That,” Scout muttered, soon perking up and smiling to Demo, “Awright, are we doin' the trick again? Anythin' ya need?”

 

Demoman shook his head, holding another test tube full of liquid methane. He pulled out the lighter and ignited it, giving the group a sunny smile.

 

“Let's do it, lads!”

 

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to get this done earlier, but tendonitis and writing block kicked me HARD. But, I tried to push on because Demo is a GOOD MAN AND DESERVES MORE LOVE. And damn it, if I gotta give him more love myself, I am gonna try! >:"3c  
> I'm not too confident in this one.... I hope I did the dialogue justice. Especially Demo and Pyro. I tried my best. ಥ‿ಥ )9 For my boy Tavish... he needs more love.  
> At the very least, I hope I did Demoman justice.  
> Thank you for reading!! .｡.:*☆


End file.
